Chapter 126: First Training Session
Chapter 126: First Training Session
The sect guides eventually blew loud whistles across the Iron Hearth Dining Hall. First-year students immediately scrambled to finish their remaining steamed buns. Instructors holding wooden clipboards marched through the double doors and began calling out names for the morning training sessions.
A blue-robed instructor stopped directly in front of Solomon’s table. Arthur Vance paused midway through drinking his soup, and Maximus Thunderstrike gripped his chopsticks tighter. The instructor pointed a wooden pen at the silver-haired boy.
"You are dismissed from the standard beginner classes," the instructor announced, looking down at his clipboard. "Pavilion Leader Jin specifically requested your presence at the Central Sword Pavilion. Report there immediately."
Solomon swallowed his bite of roasted meat and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He pushed himself off the wooden bench and hoisted Eden’s Penance onto his shoulder. Navigating the winding stone paths of the Azure Dragon Sect, he followed the signs pointing toward the highest courtyard.
He reached the designated area and stepped through a grand stone archway. Unlike the massive dirt rings from yesterday’s evaluation, this secluded courtyard featured polished cobblestones and highly advanced training dummies.
A small, elite group of students already occupied the space. Solomon instantly recognized a few first-year students who had displayed exceptional skill during the trials. Furthermore, several second-year and third-year disciples practiced advanced sword forms alongside them.
[James_Hayes: looks like the VIP class.]
[1Fizzy: all the prodigies in one place.]
[BloodKnight: Training alongside seasoned seniors will expose you to a vast variety of blade forms.]
Pavilion Leader Jin stood near the center of the courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back. He tracked the movements of a third-year senior executing a thrust. Catching sight of the silver-haired boy entering the archway, the pavilion leader turned around and checked a pocket watch.
"You are late," Jin stated, crossing his arms over his deep blue robes. "The morning assembly concluded twenty minutes ago."
Solomon adjusted the massive executioner’s sword on his shoulder and offered a completely unapologetic smile. "I was finishing my breakfast down in the dining hall."
He tapped the hilt of his weapon and walked further into the courtyard. "My parents always taught me to never rush three specific things in life. You should never rush your sleep, your food, and your poop. If you hurry any of those processes, they will absolutely come back to haunt you when you are completely unprepared."
[2Lazy2Care: bro really just said poop to the pavilion leader.]
[Fatal_beauty: WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS?!]
[Xander_Man: flawless logic to be honest.]
Several older students dropped their practice routines and stared at the newcomer. Jin rubbed his temples and exhaled a long breath.
"Put that giant slab of steel away," Jin instructed, pointing a finger toward the weapon racks lining the stone walls. "Grab a standard training blade and join the third group on the left. You will follow their exact movements and practice the foundational strikes."
Solomon glanced at the wooden rack filled with curved sabers, lithe rapiers, and standard broadswords. He knew the Eden Imperial Sword Arts relied entirely on extreme force and a two-handed grip.
Expanding his combat versatility against skilled opponents required mastering different blade types. Relying purely on a giant sword restricted his options in close-quarters duels when he needed to be swift.
He walked over to the perimeter and unstrapped Eden’s Penance from his back. He carefully leaned the S-Rank relic against a stone pillar. Grabbing a standard wooden longsword from the rack, he joined the designated group of students.
He dropped into a balanced stance and mirrored their footwork, eager to add entirely new sword styles to his growing arsenal.
Pavilion Leader Jin stepped into the center of the polished cobblestone ring. He clapped his hands together to draw the attention of the assembled students.
"You are practicing the fundamental forms of the Azure Crane Blade," Jin announced, projecting his voice across the courtyard. "The third patriarch of our sect developed this specific style over four hundred years ago. He spent years meditating beside the Heavenly Dragon Waterfall and observing the local wildlife. After watching azure cranes repeatedly defeat much larger mountain serpents, he translated their evasive movements into swordplay."
Jin walked past a practicing senior. "The Azure Crane Blade relies on redirection. You must let your opponent’s momentum slip past your guard while simultaneously stepping into their blind spot. Striking directly against a stronger force will simply shatter your own weapon."
Solomon shifted his weight and brought the wooden sword up to practice the first deflection arc. The technique felt incredibly basic compared to the absolute perfection of the Eden Imperial Sword Arts.
He completed the required sequence without any effort and waited for the next instruction.
[2Lazy2Care: bro is already bored.]
[1Fizzy: learning basic attacks after defeating a boss is wild.]
[Fatal_Beauty: gotta get those academy stars somehow.]
The other first-year students struggled to replicate the fluid motions. They tripped over their own boots and frequently dropped their practice swords onto the polished stones.
Jin walked between the rows and tapped misaligned shoulders with his wooden pen to correct their posture.
Suddenly, a sect worker wearing a gray tunic sprinted through the stone archway. She gasped for breath and stumbled slightly while rushing directly toward the pavilion leader. Her face lacked all color, and her hands shook violently.
She stopped next to Jin and leaned in close to whisper directly into his ear.
Jin widened his eyes. He dropped his wooden pen onto the cobblestones. He turned on his heel and sprinted toward the archway, abandoning the morning lesson entirely. The female worker chased right behind him.
The training courtyard plunged into total silence. Dozens of students lowered their wooden weapons and exchanged questioning glances. A senior disciple scratched the back of his neck and looked around for guidance.
"What just happened?" a first-year student asked aloud.
Solomon rested his wooden sword against his shoulder and smiled at the floating owl.
He already possessed a very clear idea about the sudden interruption. The sect instructors had undoubtedly discovered the three dead assassins floating at the bottom of the communal hot spring.
[Dark_skies: WHY DID THE TEACHER JUST RUN AWAY?]
[BloodKnight: A major incident must have occurred within the sect walls.]
[Last_Fables: Solo Man is smiling. he definitely knows something.]
He mentally reviewed the timeline of his morning activities to ensure his alibi remained completely watertight. He had returned to his room, rested on his bed, used two privacy orbs, took a shower in his room, and then headed to the dining hall for breakfast. Blaming the murders on the underground syndicate tracking him to the sect made perfect sense.